Newington Library To Be A Hive Of Activity Monday

Ned Farrell of the Clinton-based Bee Happy Company, producers of honey, beeswax candles and cosmetics, will give a free presentation on hobby beekeeping. Farrell has been ape for apiaries, as bee yards are called, since learning the trade during a late 1980s stint in the Peace Corps.

"It's so enthralling," Farrell said. "That's the word I'd use to describe it. What [bees] do is miraculous. It's so exciting to get your face in a hive."

Farrell will bring basic beekeeping tools and equipment to Monday's presentation, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free. He will explain how to set up and care for hives, although no live bees will be present.

In recent years, honeybee populations have suffered mysterious and dramatic declines, Farrell said. The cause is unknown, although pesticides are a suspected culprit, he said. The loss of bees, which are vital to pollination of crops and flowers, is another reason to take up amateur beekeeping, he said.

"Bees are a very important natural resource," Farrell said. "You're just insuring that you have honey bees in your location. In that way, you are insuring that plants within a two- or three-mile radius have a good chance of being pollinated by a bee."

Bees do not need a lot of room, so hobbyists can set up hives in even the smallest of places, Farrell said. New York City has a thriving amateur bee scene, with apiaries on balconies and rooftops, he said.

"Space is not an issue because bees fly up to two miles and will fly up to three miles if they have to," he said. "They're just going to spread out in every direction and look for flowers. People think that you need to be near an orchard, but that's not true."

And what of stings? An occupational hazard that some studies have shown may actually be good for you, assuming you're not allergic, Farrell said.

"It's part of it," he said. "I don't get stung very often. Usually, it's because I'm grabbing something and a bee is there and I squish it."

Beekeeping is a relatively inexpensive hobby, Farrell said. Folks can get started for as little as $500 to $1,000, including bees usually shipped from the south. A typical starter kit contains about 10,000 live bees and a queen, he said.

"It's a little noisy when you pour them out," Farrell said. "You literally get a buzz from it. It's that exciting."

Farrell, 47, became a beekeeper by accident. After joining the Peace Corps in the late 1980s, the Berlin native was sent to Paraguay and told to help the locals with their beehives. Farrell knew nothing about bees or beekeeping, but was immediately fascinated.

Farrell has been practicing beekeeping ever since, something he said must be learned from experience.

Since 2011, he has been a full-time beekeeper for most of the year. His Bee Happy Company -- which he runs with his wife Sharyn Farrell, a Newington native -- has hives scattered throughout the state.

The company's most popular product is beeswax cosmetics created by his wife, he said.